Gloryhammer – Tales from the Kingdom of Fife

Gloryhammer are the brainchild of Alestorm front man Christopher Bowes, and if that alone is not enough to intrigue you then you are seriously lacking in the brain department. Since forming in 2011, they have been working towards their debut album out now on Napalm Records entitled, “Tales from the Kingdom of Fife,” an album that forges in the fire of a mythical dragon, both raging heavy metal riffage and fantasy obscurity to form quite frankly, THE greatest power metal record known to man. Taking you on an epic quest through the land of Fife and its great battles, Gloryhammer whisk you away on the utmost awesome of heavy metal journeys, through 10 of the best power metal anthems that will ever grace your ears.

The first thing to point out is how incredible a vocalist Thomas Winkler actually is. Forget the concept and the musicianship of the album for a minute, and just sit back and listen to that voice… If he hasn’t got one of the best voices in metal at the moment I don’t know who has. The more slower, ballad-esque tracks on the record are the times in which Winkler’s voice shines through the most, with tracks such as ‘Quest For The Hammer Of Glory’, ‘Silent Tears Of A Frozen Princess’ and ‘Hail to Crail’ being tracks in which the vocal lines really are incredible.

If you thought Rhapsody of Fire went over the top when emphasising a concept in their music, then wait till you hear what Gloryhammer have in store for you on “Tales from the Kingdom of Fife.” With track names such as ‘The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee’ (which contains the catchiest chorus EVER), ‘Magic Dragon’ and last but not least, the ten minute epic that is ‘The Epic Rage Of Furious Thunder’, you can see that Gloryhammer, in some respects are your run of the mill power metal band, going full out in making their lyrics as mystical and fantasy based as possible. However, the one thing that stands Gloryhammer out from all others is the insane musicianship at the heart of their music. Each and every member of that band is extremely talented at what they do, and it’s clear that without any of them, Gloryhammer would most certainly not be as amazing as they are on this album.

To top off this incredible album is the awesome album artwork that it comes packaged in. What better sums up a farfetched power metal epic, than a noble hero standing all macho in gleaming armour, holding an enchanted warhammer whilst venturing through an icy tundra… Nothing. That’s your answer. If the artwork alone isn’t enough to entice you to buy this album, I don’t know what is.

Joke band or not, Gloryhammer could be your new guilty pleasure, kicking fucking ass in “Tales from the Kingdom of Fife” and showing in every song they perform that heavy metal and fantasy lyrics go hand in hand to form some of the finest power metal tracks to date… UK tour anytime soon?